HTML Etiquette for using other artists' work?

[KingCocoa]

I'm pretty new to creating HTML games. I've spent the past ~month putting together a game in Twine and feel pretty confident in my abilities to try and make something worth sharing.

My obstacle, though, is that I'm not an artist, and I don't have the spare cash to pay someone. My game idea involves a lot of pre-existing video game characters (Lara Croft, etc). What is the etiquette to using some of the Rule34 art that can be freely accessed on the web? Is crediting an artist somewhere in the game enough, or should I ask permission? Or is it fair use?

I don't want to step on any toes.

 

[MissFortune]

Most Twine games are made up of stolen images. Make of that what you will.

That said, if you're using SugarCube and want to credit the artist, it should be easy enough to put a link in the image to the artist's page.

 

[PTSdev]

If you don't monetize your game, it's fair use, because it's basically fan fiction. If you plan to make money, it gets more complicated. If your game uses assets / art from one or a few artists, reaching out to them can be an idea, but keep in mind that 99% of all "normal" artists do not want their art to appear in a smut game.

Another way to go is to release the game without the problematic assets and keep them in a separate download. Lots of real porn games do it like this, e.g. Venus Club (or Venus's's Club or whatever it's called^^), which only comes with a minimal amount of real porn characters in its official version.

As you specifically mention video game characters: The studios don't really care about rule 34 unless the content breaks more laws than just copyright. As always, monetization is where things get tricky.